Arrangement for aligning sights



June 22, 1965 w. H. BLISS ARRANGEMENT FOR ALIGNING SIGHTS Filed June 6.1960 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,190,002 ARRANGEMENT FOR ALIGNINGSIGHTS Willis H. Bliss, 201 S. Dianthus St., Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Filed June 6, 1960, Ser. No. 34,301 Claims. (Cl. 33-46) This inventionpertains to a means for obtaining proper visual alignment of sights.

One particularly important use of the device of this invention is inproviding alignment of the sights of a hand gun. For example, typicalsights for a target pistol include a front blade at the muzzle of thegun, and a notched block at the rear portion of the gun. These sightsare arranged so that when the sight blade is centered in the notch ofthe rear sight block, and the top surfaces of the two portions of thesight are level, the shooters eye then will observe the expected pointof contact for the bullet. Therefore, to strike a predetermined target,it is necessary to align the sights with the shooters eye, as well as totrain the aligned sights on the target.

While obviously a good shot can be obtained only if the target isproperly seen by the marksman, the problem of sight alignment is muchmore critical. This is because the sights are displaced only a fewinches apart, while the target normally will be in the neighborhood oftwenty-five to fifty yards distant. A misalignment of a few thousandthsof an inch between the front and rear sights is greatly magnified andcauses an inaccuracy of several inches at the more distant target point.

The shooters problem is complicated by the various factors influencingthe accuracy of his shot. Due to the considerable difference between thedistance from his eye to the sights and to the target, it is impossiblefor him to focus his eye on both. One object must remain blurred if theother is to be seen sharply. In view of the critical nature of sightalignment, most shooters will focus on the sights and allow the targetto become blurred. Over and above the problems of sight alignment andpoint of aim, the marksman must bear in mind the proper triggersqueezing technique, breath control, stance, and other practicesnecessary for accurate marksmanship. In other words, striking a desiredtarget point is a matter of considerable complexity requiring a greatdeal of concentration as well as physical skill.

According to the provisions of this invention, there are provided smallapertures through the spaced front and rear sights which openings areappropriately located so that a positive visual indication, as from asignal light, shows the shooter when the sights are in proper alignment.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an arrangementfor obtaining alignment between spaced sighting members.

A further object of this invention is to provide an arrangement giving apositive indication when sights have been aligned.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an arrangementtaking all guesswork out of the alignment of sights, permittingconcentration on other matters.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an indication ofproper sight alignment which can be observed readily without disturbingnormal aiming practices.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

3,190,902 Patented June 22, 1965 FIG. 1 is a side elevational view,partially in section, illustrating the sight alignment provisions ofthis invention,

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of a front sight blade including anaperture for sight alignment,

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the rear sight block likewiseprovided with a sight alignment aperture,

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the sights in the properly alignedcondition,

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but with the sights slightlymisaligned,

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the sights further misaligned,

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the use of a tubeinterconnecting the alignment apertures to obstruct side lights, and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of an arrangement utilizing asingle elongated alignment aperture.

As seen in FIG. 1, a typical target pistol 1 includes a front sightblade 2 projecting upwardly from the top of the gun barrel 3 near themuzzle. Spaced a few inches from the front sight blade, and near therear of the gun is the rear sight block 4. The latter includes a notch 5at its midpoint which may be rectangular, as shown, V- shaped,semicircular, or of other configuration. For target shooting the pistolwill be held by hand spaced in front of the shooters eye 6 a distancedepending upon the length of the arm of the user of the gun.

In obtaining a good shot, it is necessary for the front sight blade 2 tobe centered within notch 5 of the rear sight block, and for the uppersurface 7 of the front sight blade to be even with the upper surface 8of the rear sight block. In other words, the shooters eye 6 and the twosights must fall within the single straight line A in order for thesights to be in the proper alignment. The bullet then can be expected tocontact whatever object also falls along the path of line A. When thisline A also intersects the center of target 9, the gun is aimedproperly. Thus, the bullet should strike the center of target 8 so longas the target, the two sights, and the shooters eye all fall along theone straight line A.

Of course, in some instances the sights are made adjustable tocompensate for variations in distance between the marksman and thetarget. Whether or not an adjustment of this type is made, the sightalignment procedure is the same.

According to the provisions of this invention, there is provided throughthe rear sight block 4 a small aperture 10 immediately below the centerof notch 5. A similar aperture 11 extends through the vertical axis ofthe front sight blade 2. As a result, a beam of light from in front ofthe gun will pass through the two apertures 10 and 11 along the path ofline B. These two openings, by transmitting the light beam B, providethe shooter with a positive indication of sight alignment.

As seen in FIG. 1, when the sights are properly aligned the beam oflight following line B will pass through both openings 10 and 11 andstrike the shooters eye 6. With correct sight alignment, therefore,lines A and R intersect at the observation point for the sights.

It is for this reason that the front opening 11 is slightly lower thanthe rear opening 10 to allow the light beam B to fall upon the eye 6 atthe same point as the line A of sight alignment.

In use of the sight aligning arrangement of this invention, it isapparent to the marksman when the sights are aligned because the lightbeam B will be observed at maximum intensity only in this condition.This is indicated in FIG. 4. However, if the sights are misaligned, asin FIG. 6, the shooter will be unable to see any light through the rearopening 10. This is because the openings 1t) and 11 no longer coincideas he looks at the sights, and the rear opening is obstructed by thesurface of the front sight 2 adjacent the opening 11 in the front sightblade.

Obviously, therefore, when the sights are positioned correctly, arelatively bright light will be observed in the rear opening 10 becauseit is in registry with front opening 11. If the sights are moved towardmisalignment, such as indicated in FIG. 5, the intensity of the signalat rear opening 10 will decrease as there is less area through which abeam of light from the front sight may be observed. Therefore, theshooter may watch for a relatively bright beam of light through the rearopening 10 which will automatically advise him that the sights are intheir aligned condition. If the signal is relatively dim he knows thatthe sights are nearly but not quite in the optimum position. When thelight is extinguished, the marksman realizes that the sights are nolonger correctly aligned, and that he cannot obtain an accurate shot.The provisions of this invention, therefore, remove all guesswork fromthe sight alignment problem. The shooter is given a positive means ofknowing that the sights are in the correct position. This leaves himfree to aim the sights when he is given the automatic signal ofalignment, concentrating only on the problem of striking the targetpoint without concern for sight alignment. The light through opening 10is observed by the marksman without looking directly at this opening.The shooter is made aware of the alignment as if a signal light has beenturned on, which is readily detected without any conscious observationof the light source.

In order to assure that the signal will be of sufficient intensity to beobserved by the markman, it is advisable generally to avoid brightlights on the gun and to see that the sights are well blackened. Toprevent any possible misinterpretation of distracting side lights, thearrangement of FIG. 7 may be resorted to. Here there is a tube 12interconnecting the openings 10 and 11 of the front and rear sights.This tube allows the light from the front of the gun to pass throughopening 11 and then through opening 10 to the shooters eye. However, anyside lights will be blocked out. This relatively simple addition,therefore, assures that an adequately intense light signal will beobtained under all conditions.

As shown in FIG. 7, the tubular member 12 has a larger diameter thanthat of the openings 10 and 11. This is preferred for ease of assembly.However, it would make no difference if the tube 12 were of a diameterequal to that of the two apertures 10 and 11. The effect then would bethe same as a single elongated opening having spaced ends. In otherwords, it is not necessary actually to include separate spaced openingsif the single opening has appropriately spaced ends and is positionedproperly with respect to the sights and the observers eye. Such aconstruction is indicated by the opening 13 through elongated member 14affixed to the gun shown in FIG. 8. The axis of aperture 13 coincideswith line B, and the spaced ends 15 and 16 of this path for the signallight assure that the light can be seen only at the position of correctsight alignment. The single member 14 may incorporate front and rearsights 17 and 18 if desired.

It is apparent that the relative location vertically of openings 10 and11 is quite important in providing precise sight alignment. In someinstances where extreme accuracy is desired, it may be preferable toadjust the two openings to the arm length of the shooter. For a marksmanwhose arm is relatively short, the gun will be located closer to theshooters eye, and the front opening 11 should be lower with respect tothe rear opening 10 than for one of longer arm length. This lowerposition will allow the light beam B to strike the eye 6 at the samepoint as line A of sight alignment. Generally speaking, however, thereis little enough variation in arm length with respect to the muchsmaller distance between the two portions of the sight to require anycustom fitting of the vertical positions of openings 10 and 11.

While the invention has been described as utilized in connection with atarget pistol, it is apparent that the teachings of this invention areequally applicable in any instance where the aligning of sights isnecessary. This is not only the case in weapons of various types butalso may be encountered in navigational equipment, for example.

It should be observed that while openings 10 and 11 are illustrated asbeing positioned at the vertical axis of their respective sights, it isnot necessary for them to fall in this position. This location ispreferred for target pistols primarily for ease in construction andbecause it places the source of the light signal close to the area wherethe eye is directed in sighting the weapon. The essential factor is tohave a light path so positioned that when the sights are aligned withrespect to the eye, the path of the light beam likewise is in alignmentwith the eye. The spaced openings actually need not even be in thesights, but may be in any other members so long as they are properlypositioned with respect to the sights and the point of observation ofthe sights.

It should be borne in mind also that the source of the light signaltransmitted by the alignment openings is not critical. As seen in FIG.1, the pathway B intersects the target 3. As a result, the alignmentsignal light is reflected from the target, which normally will be wellilluminated. However, any other light source is satisfactory that willprovide a beam B passing through the alignment openings to the sightingpoint.

The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as givenby way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of thisinvention being limited solely by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device having longitudinally displaced sighting members havingindicia alignable in a sighting operation with a predetermined point ofobservation, a device for determining such alignment comprising meansfor transmitting a beam of light, said means including laterally spacedapertures remote from said indicia, said laterally spaced apertureshaving their axes aligned with said point of observation only when saidindicia of said longitudinally displaced sighting members aresubstantially aligned with said point of observation.

2. In combination with a device having longitudinally displaced sightsarranged with observable indicia aligned one in front of the other whensaid device is aimed at a target, an arrangement for providing alignmentof said indicia of said sights comprising an aperture means in each ofsaid sights, said aperture means being remote from said indicia andbeing positioned so as to be in alignment with the point of observationfor said sights when said indicia of said sights are in alignment withsaid point.

3. In a hand held gun having a front sight blade and a rear sight blockhaving a notch therein, an arrangement for aligning said sight bladewith respect to said sight block comprising aperture means through saidsight blade, and aperture means through said sight block, said aperturemeans being positioned so as to be in alignment with the normal sightingpoint for said gun when said sight blade and said notch in said sightingblock are likewise in alignment with said sighting point.

4. The method of aligning a duality of sights comprising the steps ofproviding a restricted path for a beam of light independent of thenormal sighting path of said sights and positioned such that saidrestricted path is in alignment with the normal observation point forsaid sights only when said sights are in alignment with said observationpoint, then observing said sights from said observation point, andsimultaneously positioning said sights such that a light of maximumintensity is received from said restricted path at said observationpoint.

5. The method of aligning sights of a gun having longitudinallydisplaced sights comprising the steps of providing an aperture througheach of the longitudinally 10 2825137 displaced sights of said gun withsaid apertures positioned to be in alignment with the sighting point forsaid gun when said sights likewise are in alignment with said sightingpoint, then observing said sights from said sighting point, andpositioning said sights such that light is received at said sightingpoint through both of said apertures References Cited by the ExaminerUNITED STATES PATENTS 953,696 4/10 Konig 33---46.2 1,256,987 2/18Dittemore 33-47 2,815,574 12/57 Du Varry 3347 3/58 Meetin.

FOREIGN PATENTS 28,434 8/84 Germany.

9,316 10/13 Great Britain.

15 ISAAC LISANN. Primary Examiner.

1. IN A DEVICE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY DISPLACED SIGHTING MEMBERS HAVING INDICIA ALIGNABLE IN A SIGHTING OPERATION WITH A PREDETERMINED POINT OF OBSERVATION, A DEVICE FOR DETERMINING SUCH ALIGNMENT COMPRISING MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING A BEAM OF LIGHT, SAID MEANS INCLUDING LATERALLY SPACED APERTURES REMOTE FROM SAID INDICIA, SAID LATERALLY SPACED APERTURES HAVING THEIR AXES ALIGNED WITH SAID POINT OF OBSERVATION ONLY WHEN SAID INDICIA OF SAID LONGITUDINALLY DISPLACED SIGHTING MEMBERS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID POINT OF OBSERVATION. 